Sail Magazine

by David Schmidt

David Schmidt, a SAIL editor-at-large, is a recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest from SAIL's Boston offices

ATN Genoa Sleeve

by David Schmidt, Posted April 14, 2009

If you have a roller-furling headsail, the ATN Genoa Sleeve is worth your attention. It’s built of abrasion-resistant, UV-proof material and protects your headsail (racing or cruising) without adding weight to the sail or requiring that it be altered. The sleeve is hoisted on a spare halyard and is laced with adjustable thin-diameter cordage that holds the sleeve snug to the sail when tightened,

Angle of Detachment

by David Schmidt, Posted April 14, 2009

Hooking up to shore power can be tricky, especially if the power post is just a little too far away from your boat or if your shore-power cable isn’t quite long enough to make that 90-degree turn. This can turn what was supposed to be a comfortable dockside night into a power-rationing situation. Marinco’s right-angle cordset adaptor allows your shore-power cord to make a

Look, Ma, No Hands!

by David Schmidt, Posted April 14, 2009

If you’re a high-adrenaline sailor, V.I.O.’s new Point of View (POV) video camera is perfect for documenting your onboard adventures. The package includes the recorder, a wireless remote, the camera head (which has a 100-degree field of view), various wires, mounting accessories, and a 1GB memory card (larger cards are available). It is waterproof and shock resistant, so even

Must Be Gone

by David Schmidt, Posted April 14, 2009

Long spells of hanging on a mooring and cold, wet winter days in storage are great for breeding mold, must, and other unsavory onboard odors. The solution to this pollution is diffusion—that is, air circulation. Nicro’s Day/Night Plus Solar Vents form a multi-part ventilation system featuring interchangeable air intake and exhaust fans; the vents fit into deck through-holes

Frequent Flyers

by David Schmidt, Posted April 8, 2009

Unless you're twisted in the head and enjoy the dizzying heights that are achieved through rock climbing or going aloft (such as myself), most sailors don't relish the idea of taking a trip up the stick, even when the boat is snugly hanging from her mooring pennants. Regardless of your ilk, the Spinlock Mast-Pro Harness should be a serious consideration for your "must-have" gear. Spinlock

Sagarmatha of the Southern Ocean

by David Schmidt, Posted April 6, 2009

Sherpas call Mount Everest Sagarmatha, “the mountain so high that no bird can fly over it”. Western sailors know the Vende Globe—a non-stop, solo, around-the-world race sailed on wildly powerful, lightweight 60-footers—as sailing’s Mount Everest. Study the attrition rate in this year’s race—19 of the original 30 boats dropped out, many in the stormy waters of the Southern Ocean—and you realize

Hometown high

by David Schmidt, Posted April 3, 2009

When the Volvo Ocean Race calls on Boston Harbor in May, every weekend sailor in the region will have a chance to sniff the air around a grand prix circus. So how did Boston "steal" the US stopover? We turned to the instigator, Bill Lynn of Marblehead, Massachusetts, an unassuming ace Etchells sailor and co-operator of Atlantis Weather Gear. He also has a background in

Announced: 2009 US Sailing Team Alphagrapics

by David Schmidt, Posted March 17, 2009

US Sailing recently announced the names of the 2009 US Sailing Team Alphagrapics (USSTAG). This selection was based on the results of the 2009 Rolex Miami OCR. “We’re excited about the new team because we’ve never had this many Olympic and Paralympics sailors return this early in the quad, which is a sign we’re delivering more support to the sailors,” said Olympic Sailing Chairman Dean Brenner

Hats off to Mr. Wilson

by David Schmidt, Posted March 13, 2009

Rich Wilson, 58, of Marblehead, Massachusetts, became the second American to have completed the Vende Globe, an unassisted, non-stop, around the world race that’s fought out in wildly powerful IMOCA 60 monohulls — when he crossed the finishing line in ninth place aboard his trusty stead, Great American III on March 9, 2009. While Wilson finished weeks behind the overall winner, Michel

Chess master

by David Schmidt, Posted March 12, 2009

In Grand Prix circles, few jobs titles exert more pressure on their bearers than that of tactician. In 2007, Terry Hutchinson, then-tactician for Team New Zealand, felt just how heavy of a burden that title can be when his team lost a final America's Cup battle to Alinghi by a mere 1 second.Flash forward to 2008 and Mr. Hutchinson was back in force, first winning Key West Race Week about